Blending art-punk ferocity with post-punk wit, A 1000 Words on Sound is the Leicester-based trio Boilermen‘s debut album. Their concise, punchy song structures remind of Wire, refusing to overstay their welcome while showcasing a sharp, experimental depth and unmatched energy.
“Curious Thing” opens the album with an invigorating, dynamic pull. Hazy twangs move quickly into pulses of punk-ready guitar tones, with the “glimpse into my madness” vocal steadiness maneuvering seamlessly to the title-referencing, fuzzed-out hook. A contemplative, jangly charm takes hold at the one-minute turn, then moving into a continuation of the ardent refrain. “Right Over Wrong” also excels, strutting a rhythm-forward initial prowess with bass-y reverberations and Replacements-esque vocals, beckoning to “lower you guard” amidst instrumentation reminiscent of The Jam’s sturdy punk/rock infusions.
Another album standout ensues with “By Accident,” blissfully venturing from a psych-laden power-pop twang into a warming assortment of rhythms and vocal hooks. “When the rain came in” and “pouring down” scene-setting exudes an introspective charm, while sporadic vocal punchiness rounds the one-minute turn into a satisfying soaring finality, showing lovely shades of The Stone Roses. From 48-second punk blasts like “Meat / 30 Years” to epic 8-minute finale “Life Map” — which embraces a dreamy atmospheric build-up — A 1000 Words on Sound is a stirring success of a full-length from Boilermen.
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“By Accident” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
